Read a discussion about raising a capsized cat. Here it was mentioned it was essential having a water tight mast!

Anyone with experience in sealing a mast (having af Hobie Cat 17)

It's really easy to do. You will need to remove the mast caps. I don't have a Hobie but I suppose that the cap is secured with rivets. Drill the rivets out and remove the cap. You will need some silicone sealer. Seal around the edges of the cap and replace it onto the mast. Don't forget to do this to both ends. Seal around any other rivets, screws, et cetera, that are on the mast. The purpose is to make the mast watertight.

Also make sure the rivets are self sealing and don't leave a hole in the cntre.
You can check your mast by placing it in calm water and check for bubbles coming up.

Also in addition, rotate the mast slowly as some leaks may be easier to see. (When it is submerged)

ok, what if your jib halyard runs up the inside of the mast and tension is controlled with a pulley system inside the mast with controls that extend out to the ends of the beams? Scrap the system, I suppose, but then how do you rig up a fancy jib halyard system otherwise? (obviously, there aren't many other boats to check out in my area, or I would) BTW, 6" snow overnight and still coming down. Is it really spring down South?
Al

Al,
Bring the halyard down inside the zipper of the jib.
If you really want adjustment there is aheap of ways of getting luff tensioning back to your man beam.

Many people these days don't bother adjusting the luff of the jib especially if they are running spinnakers or just sailing wild downwind.
So even people without spinnakers are tending to set it before the race and forget it.

It you are stuck on adjusting it a wire down one or both bridle wires can help bring it back and depending on the purchase you want a 2:1 at the bridle intersection and another 2:1 between the bridle fitting and main beam is possible.
If sailing a tornado with the new jib it could be brought back along the spinnaker pole. Personally, I'd KIS and just set it between races.

Regards,
Phill

When seeling rivets, use epoxy rather than silicone. Silicone dose not last long and can fall out at without you noticing and at the most inconvinient moment.

Or use the good 3M marine sealant - it's designed to take the weather and holds up for a long time.

Theoreticly a rivet sleeve seals the hole completely. most epoxy is too brittle to retain a bond to flexible anodized aluminum.
Urethane sealant like 5200 is much better than silicone.

On the 17... has a CompTip, check the seal below the comptip. Water can pool on top of the plug and get sucked past with the mast heating and cooling. If you need to seal it, you can drill into the mast about 12" below the Comptip and inject a two part foam (closed cell). This will create an internal plug.

If the water is getting into the CompTip, you can plug the top with the injected foam. Look at the mold part line. We currently paint over the seams (front and back, below the luff track) It was found to suck water through tiny pores in the fiberglass. We had masts filling with water that had never been IN the water. The black Hobie masts likely are the most prone to this as they heat and cool. They heat and exhaust through a leak. then cool and suck moist air in. This can happen all day long every day as clouds go over.

Will Marine or Plumbers "Goop" work as a sealant?

Will Marine or Plumbers "Goop" work as a sealant?

No, It is too brittle to handle the flexing.

3M 5200 is probably the best. Next to that a good RTV is what I use.

Mike Hill
H20 #907

Silicone is not nearly as good a caulk as the polyurethanes
or polysulfides.

When using the 3M stuff avoid the 5200 unless you never want to take it apart ever again. It is an adhesive caulk
that can damage parts when you take them apart.